Discussion

Dining advice for foodie sisters and adventurous 7-year-old on Memorial Day weekend

Two adult foodies and a 7-year-old with an adventurous palate coming to town this weekend for a girls' getaway. We're hoping to find new and interesting places where my sister and I can get a grown-up meal and a good cocktail, but can also accommodate my charming niece. We're staying in midtown, looking for recommendations for lunch around the High Line, dinner in the West Village and Upper West Side, and dim sum in Chinatown.

Best dim sum in Chinatown is at Dim Sum Go Go. There is other dim sum that's better in Manhattan outside of Chinatown, but it's a lot more expensive. If you decide to go to Flushing, post to Outer Boroughs for dim sum recommendations there.

How much do you want to spend on food for lunch and dinner, and what cuisines do you particularly like (other than Chinese)?

I've heard Dim Sum Go Go is good, but we love the carts and I understand they don't have that. We prefer casual inexpensive lunches, and probably not more than $50 per adult at dinner. We have expensive tastes but need to stay on a budget. We're definitely not going to Flushing because we'll only have a couple days in the city and want to visit Chinatown. We eat just about everything--regional American, Italian, French, Indian, Spanish, Mexican, Japanese, most other Asian cuisines. Prefer less formal settings since we'll have my niece with us. Thanks for the response--more suggestions welcome!

OK, go to Red Egg. They have some carts at peak hours (perhaps especially on weekends? not sure) and they are the 2nd-best dim sum place in Chinatown. If you want to go to a big eating hall with lots of carts, you're on your own; I can't recommend a good one for you, though some hounds claim that Golden Unicorn has gotten better lately. Probably none of them will be horrible, though; just mediocre.

OK, for a casual, inexpensive lunch where you can have drinks near the High Line, go to Half King on 23rd near 10th. It's a bar and grill, and they do not card at the door because they're at least as much a restaurant as a bar, but what's really interesting about them is that they have the feel of a bar with food, yet they serve food that's way better than they really need to, and actually quite good. In case of good weather, you might be able to sit outside, or otherwise, they have a dining room adjoining the bar room. I don't remember ordering cocktails there, but they have a full bar. For example, I have had a shot of Bulleit Bourbon for $10 with my lunch on occasion.

For dinner on the Upper West Side, I'm going to recommend Kefi, but that's only if you like Greek food (which you didn't specifically mention). It's well within your budget and though some hounds love to hate it (for some reason), I've never had anything but tasty meals there, and they have a fun, varied menu. It can be a bit loud, so no problem at all for a child to eat there any time.

I like some places in the West Village, but I think I'll defer to more knowledgeable posters for that part of your query.